Thursday, December 20, 2012

Mining more of the fantastic County 500 series catalog, I came up with a transfer of this superb 1969 collection of rare old Texas Fiddle 78s from the twenties era. Since transferring this album the Lewis Brothers' "Bull at the Wagon" has stuck in my head day and night, but there's never a bad tune on a collection such as this. There's not much for me to add to the album's liner notes (by Charles Faurot), scans of which are included in the download. Enjoy!

The transcript from a telephone interview with Denmon Lewis, made by Charles Faurot on November 18, 1969 to obtain information for the liner notes of this album is here.

Monday, December 10, 2012

I haven't posted any Old Timey Southern music here at the Attic in some time and felt that another great title from County's old 500 series was due. County 532 features twelve great 1927-1930 recordings by a legendary Mississippi string band, "The Leake County Revelers". The Revelers' sound was somewhat more subdued that of many of their contemporaries, but is very enjoyable nonetheless. Their legacy seems to have lasted beyond the heyday of such bands; their recording of "Wednesday Night Waltz" remained in print throughout the 78rpm era, Ned Landry re-popularized the "Saturday Night Breakdown" in the fifties, and a later edition of the band appeared in a 1976 movie adaptation of the song "Ode To Billie Joe".
Unfortunately the jacket of this LP (scans of which along with the labels are included in the download folder) contains no notes, but an excellent biographical account of the group's members is on the Mississippi Country Music Trail's website and can be read here.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

For a long time now followers of the Scratchy Attic have been requesting that I post some King albums by "The Hawk of the West Virginia Hills", Hawkshaw Hawkins. Hawkshaw was born on the 22nd of December, 1921 in Huntington, WV and famously perished in the same plane crash that claimed the lives of Cowboy Copas and Patsy Cline on the 5th of March, 1963.
Hawkins recorded for different labels throughout his career, but his finest recordings were made during his first stint at King from 1946 to 1953. It is those recordings which are featured on these two LP compilations first released in 1958 (the covers shown here are the second editions from 1963). Hawk went from King to RCA Victor in 1953, then to Columbia in 1959. In my opinion, his output for the latter two labels never really matched the quality of his earlier material. He returned to King in 1962 and achieved the only number one chart hit of his career, "Lonesome 7-7203"; ironically it only hit number one a short time after his death.

1. The Life Story Of Hank Williams
2. Blue Skies In Your Eyes
3. Two Roads
4. I'm Waiting Just For You
5. Unwanted
6. Tangled Heart
7. Pardon Me For Loving You
8. You Don't Belong To Me
9. A Heartache To Recall
10. Life Lost Its Color
11. I Hate Myself
12. Loaded With Love
13. All Because Of My Jealous Heart
14. I Wasted A Nickel
15. Handcuffed To Love
16. That's All She Wrote